Two ATU fishing teams in top 10 at super regionalWAGONER, Okla. — Arkansas Tech University Fishing Club anglers are in third, seventh and 26th place after the first round of the 2012 Carhartt College Series Central Super Regional on Fort Gibson Lake. Aaron Sarna and Evan Barnes earned third place in the day-one standings after they caught five fish Friday that tipped the scales at 14 pounds, 9 ounces. Jordan Mullenix and Evan Smith are in seventh after they caught five fish that weighed 13-3...

ASU head coach Gus Malzahn to visit Russellville on WednesdayJONESBORO — Arkansas State University’s Department of Athletics announced Thursday a statewide speaking tour for new head football coach Gus Malzahn is set for Tuesday through Thursday, when he will make stops in 14 different Arkansas cities as part of the “Head of State Road Tour.” Malzahn, who has been considerably active within the state borders with numerous speaking engagements and also been visible on a national level through media cover...

Remembering Coach Sevier — an Arkansas legendThere will be an empty seat when the Golden Suns open their 2012 volleyball season in August inside John E. Tucker Coliseum. There will be an empty seat behind the western end zone, under the shadow of the goal post at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field, when the Wonder Boys kick off their football season in September. There will be an empty seat alongside the basketball court when the Wonder Boys and Golden Suns tip off in November, when the cros...

4 Eagles make all-conference baseball teamCLARKSVILLE — Four University of the Ozarks baseball players were named to the American Southwest Conference All-East Division Team, the ASC office announced Tuesday. Senior centerfielder Chris Driedric and junior second baseman Nick Brill were named to the second team. Junior shortstop Mitchell Powers and junior pitcher Ian Bryan earned honorable mention. Brill, a 6-foot, 195-pound native of Siloam Springs, led the team in RBI (28), total bas...

Razorbacks sports update (Thursday, May 10, 2012)JUCO forward commits to Arkansas FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas added another player to its 2012-13 roster Wednesday, when junior college power forward Coty Clarke told Hawgs Illustrated he had committed to the Razorbacks. The 6-foot-7 Clarke attended Lawson State (Ala.) Community College and averaged 16.2 points and 13.5 rebounds a game. He was the nation’s second-leading JUCO rebounder last season. Lawson played high school basketball at Pinson Val...

Softball’s Rollins, Stephens honored by ASCCLARKSVILLE — University of the Ozarks softball players Amber Rollins and Kelsey Stephens each received recognition from the American Southwest Conference, it was announced Tuesday by ASC Media Relations Director Greg Weghorst. Rollins, a freshman pitcher, was named the ASC East Division Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the ASC All-East Division Second Team. Stephens, a senior first baseman, was named to the ASC All-East Division Hono...

Wonder Boys lose to Savage Storm, play at 4 p.m. todayENID, Okla. — A three-run rally by Southeastern Oklahoma State in the top of the seventh inning was the difference in Saturday night’s 7-4 Savage Storm win over the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys in the second round of the Great American Conference Baseball Tournament at David Allen Memorial Ballpark. Arkansas Tech (26-26) will face an elimination game against Ouachita Baptist (27-25) at 4 p.m. today. That game can be heard online at athletics.atu....

Wonder Boys edge Bulldogs in extra inningsENID, Okla. — Arkansas Tech took advantage of a series of Southwestern Oklahoma State miscues in the top of the 11th inning on Friday night to come away with an 8-4 victory in the opening round of the inaugural Great American Conference Baseball Tournament at David Allen Memorial Ballpark. Arkansas Tech (26-25) will face Southeastern Oklahoma State (33-15) in a winners' bracket game at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs issued three walks and commi...

Beaird earns another honorArkansas Tech junior centerfielder Madison Beaird of Russellville was named a repeat Capital One Academic All-District 6 selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. It is the second consecutive year that Beaird has been named an Academic All-District 6 honoree and he is the second Wonder Boy student-athlete to earn Academic All-District honors this school year as senior punter/tight end Jake Denzer, a...

Ozarks’ student-athletes assist with Clarksville’s Special OlympicsCLARKSVILLE — University of the Ozarks student-athletes were well represented at the 2012 Special Olympics Track and Field Meet on April 26 at Clarksville High School’s Metheny Field. Nearly 400 Special Olympics athletes from across Arkansas competed at the 2012 meet. Ozarks student-athletes were just 100 of the 600 volunteers that helped make the meet possible. Some Ozarks student-athletes cheered on the competitors or assisted with the stagi...

Wonder Boys open GAC Tournament todayThere was a time in early April when it looked like the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys might not need reservations for the inaugural Great American Conference Baseball Tournament. But an eight-game league winning streak during the month of April changed their fortunes, and now the Wonder Boys are ready for their third consecutive appearance in postseason baseball action. Fourth-seeded Arkansas Tech (25-25) will face third-seeded Southwestern Oklaho...

ATU hosts T-Club AwardsArkansas Tech athletics honored its 165 letterwinners from the 2011-12 athletic season here Monday night at the school’s 2nd-annual T-Club awards ceremony held at the lecture hall in the Doc Bryan Student Center. The T-Club originally existed as a student organization at Tech from 1924-73, before going dormant for nearly four decades before being revived last year as an alumni organization open to all former Tech student-athletes and coaches. ...

Arkansas receivers head to NFLFAYETTEVILLE — Joe Adams, Jarius Wright and Greg Childs came to Arkansas together in 2008, planning to spent the next few years helping Arkansas’ passing attack become one of the most prolific in the nation. So it only seemed fitting Saturday, when the 2012 NFL Draft worked through its final day, the record-setting wide receivers were grabbed off the board in the fourth round. Adams was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 104th pick in ...

More than fishingArkansas Tech University’s Fishing Club anglers were doing some pretty serious trash talking Friday night at Lake Dardanelle State Park. “Two tires off an 18-wheeler, a broken canoe. Tires off a pickup truck, a cooler that doesn’t look that bad, cans, chairs, a hot water heater, a futon frame, a dog house, radios, electrical appliances and equipment, turtle cages, mattress and bed frames, flower pots, a chicken bucket,” club members responded ...

Former Wonder Boy Johnson gets NFL look; GAC baseball tournament bracket setFormer Arkansas Tech University defensive back Myron Johnson has been invited to participate in a three-day rookie training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. As an undrafted free agent camp invitee, Johnson will have an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Buccaneers’ 2012 roster. Johnson will leave for the rookie camp on Thursday, May 3. “I’m just happy and thankful to have this opportunity,” Johnson said...

Suns softball season ends with 6-1 lossBENTONVILLE — Southwestern Oklahoma State defeated Arkansas Tech 6-1 and eliminated the Golden Suns from the 2012 Great American Conference Softball Tournament at Tiger Athletic Complex on Friday afternoon. SWOSU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Kristyn Shawver’s sacrifice fly to center field. Arkansas Tech’s Ashton Long answered in the top of the second with a solo home run — the first home run of the freshman’s collegiate...

Arkansas Tech Fishing Club takes state titleBULL SHOALS — Jake Jacobs and Aaron English were a little late, holding up the weigh-in for the Arkansas College state tournament. They wondered if they would even make it to the prelude for the TroKar Quest weigh-in. It was understandable. They had boat issues on their drive from Norfork Lake. Their rig got rear ended. That delay didn’t matter as they weighed in 11 pounds, 13 ounces to win the event by five ounces last weekend. “It feels like...

Arkansas Tech’s Anstine earns GAC honor; Suns play in GAC softball tournament ThursdayArkansas Tech junior righthander Zak Anstine of Holden, Mo., has been named this week’s Great American Conference co-Pitcher of the Week by the league office in Russellville. It’s his second honor this season (his first was April 10), and he is the third Wonder Boy to be recognized by the GAC this spring after senior third baseman Nate Wilder was named Player of the Week on Feb. 28. “Zak has really done a good job at solidifying that No. 3 spo...

John L. Smith introduced as new Arkansas coachFAYETTEVILLE (AP) — John L. Smith stood at the podium, pouncing with a smile on every question he was asked about his surprise hire as the coach at Arkansas. The guy asked to pick up the pieces following the scandal-tainted ouster of Bobby Petrino handled everything thrown his way and was adamant Tuesday about keeping Arkansas in the thick in the Southeastern Conference and national championship races. “I want to say that our expectations are ...

Hogs hire John L. Smith on interim basisFAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long chose not to promote one of the Razorbacks’ current assistants to the interim coaching role for the 2012 season. Long did the next closest thing, though. He brought back a former coach who had recently left the program. Former Arkansas assistant John L. Smith resigned as Weber State’s coach and agreed to return to Arkansas to lead the program next season. The 63-year-old, was Arkansas’ specia...